Possible Cause of Kevin Ware's Broken Leg

Published April 1st, 2013

DALLAS - Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware's horrific leg fracture was a freak accident that may have been caused by previously undetected stress fractures.

Tim Hewett, director of sports medicine research at Ohio State University speculates that Ware's diet could have been deficient in vitamin D and calcium leading to more porous bones. Combine that with the constant pounding Ware endured through an entire season of basketball and it may have created small stress fractures in the tibia and fibula bones in his lower leg, causing his bone to snap when he took a bad step.

Ware, 20, underwent successful surgery at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis Sunday night to repair the open fracture of his right tibia that he sustained during Sunday's NCAA Midwest Regional final.

In an operation that lasted about two hours, his bone was reset and a rod was inserted into his leg to stabilize the injury as it heals. The puncture wound caused by the bone ripping through the skin in his lower leg was also closed.

Ware's injury is known as an open fracture because the fracture site was exposed to outside air. The injury was classified as a "compound" fracture, the most dramatic type of open fracture, because the bone broke through the shin and was plainly exposed as he lay on the court.

Experts say compound fractures are a particularly dangerous injury due to the bone being exposed to bacteria.

An infection in the bone can lead to potential issues with bone healing. The wound must be cleaned and antibiotics administered as soon as possible after the injury has occurred, Glatter said, but even then chance of infection can remain high during the healing process.

The rod will remain in his leg as long as six months. Nerve damage, loss of motor control and loss of function in the lower leg and foot are possible complications.

However, if Ware remains generally healthy with no underlying medical conditions he could be back on the court within a year or even sooner.